The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a memory card connector with an ejecting mechanism for use in a portable electronic device.
Digital media is now downloadable to portable electronic devices that contain a memory card for storage purpose. In the prior art, the memory card connector has an ejector system attached on a side of a frame of the memory card connector for ejecting the memory card out of a receiving space defined in the connector. For insertion of a memory card, a rear end thereof is held by a user with a front end thereof pushing an eject metal for a certain distance until the memory card is completely inserted into the receiving space. The user then must push the rear end of the memory card to move the eject metal to eject the front end of the memory card, thereby successfully pulling the memory card out of the receiving space. However, the size of the memory card is too small for the user to conveniently operate the rear end of the memory card when the card is completely received into the receiving space.
On the other hand, a conventional card connector as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,835 has a push rod in the ejector secured to a side of the card connector for ejecting the card. In this prior art, when pushing the push rod to urge a transmission pin to move a driving plate forward, an eject arm interlocked with the driving plate rotates about a first support shaft, making the claws of a first and a second rotary arms press front end of the card and eject the memory card. However, a disadvantage of this conventional card connector is that the push rod and the driving plate are designed as plate-shaped. So a total height of the connector is too large in view of a miniaturization trend of the connector. Moreover, the eject arm need rotate on the first support shaft and urge the first and second rotary arms to eject the card, so the ejector is complicated as to assembling operation.
Hence, an improved memory card connector is needed to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of current memory card connectors.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector which has a comparatively low profile.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector having a simple ejecting mechanism for withdrawing a memory card from the connector.
To achieve the above objects, a memory card connector in accordance with the present invention for soldering to a printed circuit board (PCB) comprises a U-shaped shell protrudes a projecting tab from one side arm of the shell, an insulative frame having a first insulative housing and a second insulative housing, a plurality of conductive contacts partially retained in the first insulative housing and an ejecting mechanism. The ejecting mechanism comprises includes a first device and a second device. Wherein the first device includes a slide bar, a eject metal formed from one piece of metal blank with the slide bar, a first spring, a first cam, and a first cam follower. The second device includes a push bar, a second spring, a third spring, a second cam, a second cam follower, a control rod and a cap.
During inserting the memory card into the receiving space, the card pushes the eject metal and urges the slide bar to slide forwardly. Meanwhile the first cam follower slides from the original position to the locked position of the first cam and, upon releasing the pushing force on the card, is locked, thereby locking the eject metal to the cam follower. This completes insertion of the memory card. To eject the memory card, the push bar is pressed so the control rod loaded in the push bar impacts the slide bar and drags it to slide forwardly until the control rod contacts with the projecting tab of the shell and is squeezed into the push bar. At the same time and within the short distance that the slide bar slides ahead, the first cam follower is urged to slide along the first cam from the locked position to the furthest position and back to the original position, therefore the memory card is ejected. Moreover, the push bar is locked to the second cam. Pressing the push bar again, the push bar will bring it back to its original position for another service.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.